Brunei rider Pg Mohd Nasir Pg
Anak Ja'afar has what it takes to
make it into the final of the
equestrian Individual Jumping event
at the Guangzhou Asian Games on
Wednesday. Picture: BT

There is plenty resting on the shoulders of Pg Mohd Nasir Pg Anak Ja'afar, but he has what it takes to make it into the final of the equestrian Individual Jumping event on Wednesday.

At least that is what Hj Muhd Zamri DP Hj Hamdani, Brunei's chef de mission, thinks keeping his faith in the Bruneian athlete and saying that Pg Mohd Nasir is capable of taking on 38 other riders from 13 countries to qualify for the Asian Games final at the Guangzhou Equestrian Venue.

"Hopefully they (Pg Mohd Nasir and his horse) can go through to the final but it will all depend on the rider. But based on their achievements, I believe that they should have no problems," said Hj Muhd Zamri, in an interview with The Brunei Times, yesterday.

"The jumps are set at a bar of 1.45 metres but the horse (Rudolf Z) is more than capable of jumping 1.5m," he added.

Pg Mohd Nasir's trusty steed, Rudolf Z, the 11-year-old Zangersheide gelding, underwent the "1st Horse Inspection" yesterday and then continued with the "Training Competition" without any problems.

The second session was for the riders to get accustomed to the match venue, which will be used for the two qualifying sessions today.

"There were no problems with the inspection and the horse is fit for competition," said Hj Muhd Zamri, who is also the vice-president of the Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council (BNOC).

"The jumps were fine during training and they managed to complete the track within the time frame set at 90 seconds. I hope that they will be able to do better and make it through all barriers in the actual competition today (Monday)," he added.

"The biggest difference would be the crowds coming in and hopefully he will be in control," continued the Deputy Director (II) of the Department of Youth and Sports.

Even the rider himself, Pg Mohd Nasir, backed up the statements made by the chef de mission.

"The horse is jumping great and everything seems to be in order," said Pg Mohd Nasir yesterday.

"I'm really happy with Rudolf and we're working great together. He's in top form," added the Brunei rider.

Asked if he was confident of making it into the final, the 21-year-old Bruneian replied: "I feel really good about it and hopefully we can make it into the final."

The first qualifying session will start at 9am while the second will be held at 2pm.

Points collected from the respective qualifying rounds will determine whether Pg Mohd Nasir and Rudolf Z will make the cut for the final round the day after.

The 2009 Merdeka Team Cup champion became the first Bruneian to compete in the equestrian event when he was chosen to represent the country during the 2007 SEA Games in Korat, Thailand. Coached by 2009 Belgian champion Lieven Debos and the Netherlands' David Molin for the past two years, Pg Mohd Nasir had been training in Belgium to prepare for the 16th Asian Games.